Four people are dead after getting into an accident on I-85. The crash involved multiple tractor-trailers, a work van and a sport utility vehicle (SUV) with a family inside.
Though the investigation is being described as preliminary at this time, the authorities have determined that one semi, the SUV and the work van had all stopped in the lanes because traffic ahead of them had slowed down. They were waiting for it to begin moving again.
However, the second semi did not slow down in time and slammed into the back of the SUV. The impact was hard enough to smash it into the work van. The van bounced off the nearby guardrail with enough force to roll back into the road and hit the other semi that had already stopped.
Inside the SUV was a 47-year-old couple and their two children, who were 10 and 8 years old. None of them survived the devastating crash and all were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi, who is from Virginia, suffered minor injuries.
To make the situation even more tragic, the family had not intended to be on the road at all. They had taken the train to Washington, D.C., for their trip. However, they could not take the train back after Hurricane Florence hit, so they rented the SUV for their drive back home.
An accident like this shows the catastrophic impact of a split-second mistake on the road. It is important for those who lose loved ones to know about all of the legal options they have.